


tied together

by chouzai



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Domestic, M/M, natsume impulse adopts sora and it's the best decision of his life?, other characters come by but they're in passing ig
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-21
Updated: 2017-06-21
Packaged: 2018-11-16 21:13:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11261109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chouzai/pseuds/chouzai
Summary: It's because of that child he impulsively adopted that Natsume's become quite fond of that stuffy looking next door neighbor.





	tied together

**Author's Note:**

> if you follow me on twitter/poked at my twitter, you might've seen my au where natsume impulse adopts sora and tsumugi is his neighbor  
> i've been meaning to write something for it so  
> jazz hands

He's twenty-four when he moves into the apartment complex.

It was closer to where Natsume had settled for work, so he believed it was rather convenient. However, all satisfaction with his new home was ruined the moment he reached the top of the stairs and came face to face with a stuffy looking man wearing thick rimmed glasses. It had been literal years since they saw one another, closing in on at least two decades, and while it should have been a happy reunion, Natsume couldn't help but grimace. 

And yet, despite his bright red hair and recognizable golden irises, there is no glimmer of recognition in the elder's confused expression. It relieves the shorter man, however memories of being dressed in feminine clothing during his childhood fill his mind the moment the elder shakes off his confusion and smiles in greeting. They were horrid memories, really, and having someone so closely tied to such an ugly childhood disturbed him. However, a vague thought runs through Natsume's mind, of how that arguably charming grin had never changed from his youth as the taller comes closer, his head bowing slightly.

No matter how kind Tsumugi was, there was no denying Natsume disliked every reminder, already disliked the fact that they were neighbors, and in response to Tsumugi's cheerful introduction, Natsume merely gave him an eerie grin.

Any _normal_ person would take that as a sign to stay away, but Tsumugi Aoba proved to be no normal individual. In fact, he was rather stubborn in attempting to befriend the slightly younger man, giving him reassurances such as 'You can rely on me!' when Natsume had given him the chance for conversation. He laughed off any rudeness Natsume displayed, and it irked the man to no end.

It wasn't like he would ever take him up on that offer. He could do things on his own. He didn't need an outsider's help.

But then, Sora came into Natsume’s life.

In his years of performing as both a magician and fortune teller, Natsume often made it a point to bring a little cheer in children's lives. They were the future of society, after all. It would be wise to nurture them to lessen the sadness in the world. However, while the the other children praised him and giggled excitedly, no child stood out to him as much as the blond did. He was a tiny boy, four at the time, staring in wonder at not Natsume, but the air around him. He hadn’t been mad at the fact a mere child wasn’t mesmerized by his performance, but more so with the fact that Sora had a habit of doing that with any sound that echoed around him.

When asking the caretakers why he did so, they felt the need to apologize, calling the boy a “strange child” due to what he said he saw. ‘Color,’ Sora told him when Natsume asked. ‘Magician-san makes pretty colors.’ He had given him a bright grin following his revelation, tugging at Natsume’s heart strings in the process. He wanted to protect that innocent smile and whisk him away from these adults that called him strange and the children that did the same.

And so, several months later, he had brought Sora home to his tiny apartment, the child asleep from the excitement and joy of having a family to call his own.

Natsume had thought he was prepared, but he lived alone and now here he was with a son. Although he was able to care for himself in his years of adulthood, he hadn’t exactly prepared himself for parenthood. It honestly was a spur of the moment thing, as embarrassing to admit it was. He’s good at making plans and seeing things through, and while he knew he wanted Sora as family, perhaps it would have been wise to wait until he had a partner.

But when Sora greets him in the mornings with that same bright grin and excited babble, he can’t help but feel absolute love for the boy. He likes hearing about the colors Sora sees, about what has the same colors and which ones are his favorites. Of course, he doesn’t like hearing that the guy next door is his “favorite blue” and that Sora feels relaxed seeing it. He’s heard enough from Tsumugi when he met Sora days after he had been brought home to his apartment. However, he can’t bring himself to tell his, well, his _son_ (it’s still strange to say it) to stay away from the elder when Sora brightens like the sun whenever they talk to one another.

While he disliked it, he can’t say it didn’t work out in his favor on an evening where Natsume had had a night performance scheduled. When Natsume came knocking on Tsumugi’s door, an excited Sora clutching to his leg, it was almost disgusting how happy the two were to see each other.

“Put him to bed at eiGHT,” Natsume told him, worry in his brow despite the annoyed glare he was giving the elder.

“Yes, yes,” Tsumugi sang, holding the boy tightly in his arms. He chuckled as Sora wrapped his own tiny arms around his neck in a hug, the cold evening filling with warm laughter.

“No sweets eitHER. He had his share alreADY.” The redhead met the blond’s big eyes, making sure Sora understood. His voice was authorizing, and yet he was still only met with his son’s continuing giggles. With a sigh, Natsume reached up to ruffle his hair, Sora nuzzling the top of his head against his father’s palm in response.

“I know, I know, Sakasaki-kun. Sora-kun’s a good boy. You may scold me, but he’s good at following your directions.” At this, Sora nods firmly, proud with himself and pleased with the man’s reassurance.

“Mhm! Sora’s good at that, Daddy,” Sora echoes, looking quite accomplished despite having done nothing other than receive praise. “Sora loves Daddy, so Sora listens to him!”

“Yes, you are a good boy, SoRA. You make Dad proUD,” Natsume gushes, ruffling his hair with a warm grin. Merely talking to Sora had his heart swelling, a sudden sadness overwhelming him and for a moment, he wanted to forget leaving the boy with Tsumugi and take him to the performance hall. A fond sigh leaves his lips as Sora laughs more, though the moment is interrupted with Tsumugi clearing his throat, golden irises rising to meet the elder’s framed gaze.

“Taking him with you will only cause problems,” Tsumugi chided, ever so observant. “You’ll see him when you come home, after all. It’s not as though you’re leaving him with me forever. Though, with a cute child like this, I certainly wouldn’t mind!” He received a kick to the shin for that comment, Tsumugi yelping in pain. “Ow! You were well aware it was a joke and you still hit me?! Ah, Sakasaki-kun can be so mean at times…”

“Because you make idiotic remarks like thAT,” came Natsume’s cold response, rolling his eyes at Tsumugi’s hurt gasp. “I'm leaving Sora to yOU. I hope he won’t catch your idiOCY. Any harm to that child and your teeth will fall out as will your haIR. I will make sure of iT.”

“Ah?! A threat?! So scary… Sakasaki-kun is so rude, but Sora-kun is so nice… But, yes, don’t worry so much. You make it sound as though I am incapable of taking care of a child! It’s alright, Sora-kun will be okay. Even though you’re so rude to me, you love Sora-kun a lot, don’t you? No worries! I’m fond of Sora-kun too, so if something happened while he was under my watch, I’d be upset with myself as well.”

He pauses to look down at the child in his arms, a fond grin settling itself on his features as he watches Sora take in all the colors around him. He raises his gaze back up to Natsume, his smile becoming reassuring as he nods, chin gesturing to the stairs. “You should be going now, though. It would be bad if the one who performs is late to his own show.”

Natsume’s lips pursed, casting one last look to his son, before he sighs, head nodding. He gave both Tsumugi and Sora a few reminders, ruffled the boy’s hair once more, shot another glare at Tsumugi and was off on his way. He wasn’t exactly overcome with worry or anything when he rushed home past midnight. It’s not as though he were Cinderella (perhaps he’d be more of the fairy godmother actually), but Sora had never stayed at anyone’s home before. Was he homesick? Did he feel comfortable without his favorite stuff animal? Well, now that he thought about Sora, the worry came rushing, drowning him in the process.

He was out of breath when he came knocking on Tsumugi's door, looking every part a father that missed his child. Tsumugi teased him, talked about how nice it was that Natsume cared for his child, but the shorter only glared, demanding to know if Sora was as unharmed as he had left him. 

"Of course he is!" Tsumugi exclaimed, surprise evident in both tone and expression. "I've said it before, but I wouldn't let Sora-kun get hurt... Right now, he's asleep, see? He went to bed at exactly eight, just like you said."

Welcoming the younger into his home, Tsumugi gestured to the couch, Sora sound asleep without a care in the world. Natsume audibly allowed a breath of relief to leave him, walking over and taking him into his arms. It was a warm sight, a father reunited with his son after only hours of separation, and Tsumugi agreed, a fond smile stretched across his features. Natsume wanted to glare, really he did, but the elder kept to his word and so, despite all the rudeness he's shown him, the red head nods and mumbles a 'Thank you.'

Afterwards, Natsume reluctantly left Sora in Tsumugi's care a number of times, though this quickly became routine for all three of them. Unlike Natsume, who was a fortune teller by day and a magician at night, Tsumugi was a stay at home writer. Truly, it was convenient, and Tsumugi recognized that.

"It's fine if you use me whenever you need to, Sakasaki-kun," the elder tells him one afternoon. "I particularly don't mind. Sora-kun seems to enjoy himself too. Isn't that right, Sora-kun?"

"HuHu~! Mhm~ Mugi reads Sora books, Daddy~ It's nice, yup!" the child replies cheerfully, looking up from his book. "Um~ The other day, Mugi told Sora a story! He just started it, so, um, we didn't finish it...~ Sora wants to finish it, mhm~"

Well, when faced with Sora's delight, it's not as though Natsume could say no. Besides, their arrangement was easy on his schedule— He'd be a fool to decline the offer. And so, with a sigh, Natsume simply shrugs, gaze moving back to the television's screen.

"Hmph. Even if you didn't say that, you'd still be willing to watch hIM."

"Aha, that's right. Sora-kun's nice to be around, after all."

"Of course he iS. That boy is a treasURE."

**Author's Note:**

> just a little prologue type thing?  
> also, tsumugi and natsume refer to each other w/ their last names bc natsume refuses to acknowledge they've known each other in the past lMAO  
> anyway! feel free to hmu on twitter @sunshowerfes ♪


End file.
